Pork sausage minestrone

SERVES 4 PREP AND COOK TIME 8 HOURS

250g pork and fennel sausages 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil 1 large (200g) onion, chopped finely 1 medium (120g) carrot, cut into

2cm pieces

2 (300g) celery stalks, cut into

2cm pieces

3 cloves garlic, crushed

2 teaspoons fennel seeds

½ teaspoon dried chilli flakes

400g can cherry tomatoes

1.5 litres (6 cups) chicken stock 2 small sprigs rosemary 60g soup pasta

400g can chickpeas, drained, rinsed ½ bunch (100g) cavolo nero, leaves stripped, chopped coarsely

⅔ cup (50g) finely grated parmesan

1 Squeeze the sausage meat from the casings in small pieces onto a plate lined with baking paper. Heat oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook the sausage meat, turning, for 5 minutes or until golden. Remove sausage from pan; drain on paper towel.

2 Add the onion, carrot and celery to pan; cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until golden. Add the garlic, fennel seeds and chilli; cook, stirring, for 1 minute or until fragrant. Add tomatoes, stock and rosemary; bring to a simmer, scraping the bottom of the pan to release any caramelised bits of food.

3 Transfer the cooked sausage and soup mixture to a 5.5-litre (22-cup) slow cooker. Cook, covered, on low for 7 hours. Season. Quickly add the chickpeas and pasta to the cooker. Cook, covered, on low for 30 minutes. Discard the rosemary sprigs; stir through the cavolo nero. Serve minestrone topped with parmesan. Suitable to freeze after adding the chickpeas.